They are the best of the best. The players wanted by every program and destined
to make a big impact at the college level and beyond. Rivals.com has identified
the first five-star prospects for the 2014 class and is unveiling them this
week. Ten prospects have been awarded five-stars but are not ranked at this time
and we will profile two each day. One of today's five-stars is Hoover, Ala.
cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Scouting Report: Humphrey is fantastic cover corner with
an excellent football pedigree. He is blessed with superior speed and football
instincts. He does a great job in off coverage and is comfortable being left on
an island. Humphrey breaks on the ball well and once he forces a turnover he
becomes a serious threat to score. He excels on special teams as a kick returner
and punt blocker. At 6-foot, he has good length and range. Humphrey is a superb
open-field tackler and very good in space against quicker wideouts. He can lay
the wood when coming up in run support as well. He has started to take a few
reps on offense and has big play potential based on his speed and athleticism.

Analyst's Take: "Humphrey displays all the tools to be a shutdown corner
at the next level and beyond. He still has some developing to do, but he has the
clay you want to mold for an impact player in the secondary. Humphrey makes
others around him better and is only going to improve as he body fills out and
he adds upper body strength. He had a great sophomore season that has deterred
opponents from throwing his way this fall, but that is more of a compliment than
a slight. He can take away half of the field and make plays on defense from the
secondary without the ball been thrown his way because he can play the run and
contributes on special teams. He closes well and is ball friendly when battling
for position with the ball in flight. He is one of the best pure football
players in this class." -- Kynon Codrington, Southeast Analyst, Rivals.com

Why He's A Five-Star: "Humphrey is a big playmaker who has good size,
long arms and a frame that will fill out nicely. His instincts in off coverage
are excellent and he is very adept at proper spacing and always being in
position. He can break on the football very quickly, has excellent ball skills
and consistently gets his head around to make a play on the football. When the
ball is in the air, oftentimes Humphrey has as good a chance of making a big
play as the receiver he is covering." -- Mike Farrell, National Analyst,
Rivals.com

His Coach Says: "I think the biggest thing with him is he is always
looking to get better. I think he understands the game very well. He understands
leverage and he has great speed. But I think the thing that makes him so special
is the fact he is such a physical football player. He's not just a cover corner,
he can come up and make tackles too. He has a great knowledge of the game, he
can match routes. I think one thing that helps him too is our tempo in practice
because he is able to get a ton of fast-paced reps at game speed and that only
makes him better. I knew from his development in the eighth grade that he would
have a chance to be special. His sophomore year he wasn't running with the ones,
but we decided to throw him into the fire and he made the most of it. This year
a lot of teams are throwing away from him." -- Hoover Head Coach Josh Niblett

Odds And Ends: Marlon is the son of University of Alabama legacy, Bobby
Humphrey, who spent five seasons in the NFL and played for the Denver Broncos in
Super Bowl XXIV. ... As a sophomore, the younger Humphrey ran a 13.97 110-meter
hurdle time to break the AAU National Record held by Heisman Trophy winner and
Washington Redskins quarterback
Robert Griffin III. ... As a sophomore
he had his breakout game on national television against South Panola (Miss.)
with an interception and a blocked punt.